Missing Student Policy

Members of the University community should immediately report missing persons to the Public Safety Department by calling (610) 519-4444. Within the University, responsibility for investigation of missing person reports rests with the Department of Public Safety. There is no waiting period for reporting a missing person. Responding officers will carefully record and investigate the factual circumstances surrounding the disappearance in accordance with Departmental directives. Particular care will be exercised in instances involving those who may be mentally or physically impaired or others who are insufficiently prepared to care for themselves.

The Public Safety Department has established a Missing Student Emergency Contact database, where on-campus students may register a confidential emergency contact to be notified in the event they are reported missing. Registration in the database is voluntary, but is strongly encouraged. The information provided is confidential and will only be used by university officials and local police to aid in locating a student who has been reported missing or where disclosure is legally required by a search warrant or subpoena. The registration form may be completed online at www.villanova.edu/missingstudent.

If the Public Safety Department, after investigation, determines that an on-campus residential student has been missing for 24 hours, the University will, within 24 hours after making such a determination, notify both the student’s designated contact person and local law enforcement that the student is missing. If such student is under the age of 18 and is unemancipated, the University will also notify the student’s parent or legal guardian within the 24 hour period after Public Safety has determined that the student is missing.

The lead law enforcement agency in missing person cases originating from Villanova University’s on-campus housing facilities is the Radnor Township Police Department. The Villanova University Public Safety Department will notify the Radnor Police Department within 24 hours of determining that an on-campus resident student has been missing for 24 hours. Reports of students missing from off-campus will be referred to the police department having jurisdiction over the student’s local residence, if known, or the student’s permanent residence if a local residence cannot be determined.

About Villanova

Villanova University was founded in 1842 by the Order of St. Augustine. To this day, Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition is the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University’s six colleges.